Car-coupling



(NOMOM) 0, P. NIGOLSON.

GAR COUPLING.

' No. 277,051. Patented May 8, 1883.

- ance with my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES P. NICOLSON, OF LAMAR, MISSOURI.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,051, dated May 8,1883.

Application filed March 17, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES P. NIGOLSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lamar, in the county of Barton and State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Oar-Couplings,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a central verticalsection of an automatic car-coupler constructed in accord- Fig. 2 is adetail in perspective of the locking-gate and adjacent parts. Fig. 3 isa perspective of one form of a connecting or coupling link. Fig. 4is aside elevation of a preferred form of a couplinglink; and Fig. 5 is adetail in plan, showing the manner of forming the head or heads of saidlink.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The objects of my invention are to provide means whereby cars may becoupled without the necessityof a person stepping or reaching betweenthe cars to couple such cars in two places, to prevent coupling oruncoupling at other than desired times, and to supply duplicatecouplings, so that if one becomes inoperative the other will perform itsfunction, and to enable the operation of coupling to be performed at anyspeed of approach of the cars; and to attain these objects I employ themeans hereinafter described, the novel features of which arespecificallyset forth in the claims.

A represents a case or box, which, by means of bolts a a, is intended tobe secured to a suitable portion of the frame-work of a car so as toproject from the end thereof. The open end of the box is flared at itsinner surfaces, as is usual, to facilitate the entrance of thecoupling-link. Upon the inner side walls are vertical cleats a, and inrear of said cleats are vertical slots (t and in the top is a hole oraperture, (L The bottom of the box'is formed with an incline, a, a shortdistance back of the cleats a, said incline extending transversely andentirely across the bottom. It is intended that two of said boxes shallbe applied to each end of each car, or one of said boxes and one of thelink-bearing boxes E, hereinafter described, each of said boxes bein glocated a distance from the transverse center of the car; but it isapparent that a single coupling and a single link-bearing box may beemployed, if desired, in which case they would be located at the centerof each end of the cars, as usual.

B represents a locking-gate, which is of sufficient length to fit thebox A back of the cleats a, and to bear against the rear edges of saidcleats to sustain the draft of the car when coupled. The gate B isprovided with trunnions b, which project into the slots a in theopposite walls of the box A, and may be grooved at its lower edge toembrace the body of the coupling-link. (See dotted lines, Fig.2.)

The gate is pivotally connected to a liftingrod, 0, to which ispivotally connected an operating-lever, D, which is pivotally secured ina suitable location to the car, and at its free end rides over a rack orratchet, d, whereby the lever D may be locked in a position which shallhold the gate B in an elevated position, for the purpose of renderingthe gate inoperative to separate coupled cars.

E represents a link-carrying box, which is adapted to be secured to theend of a companion car to that to which the box Ais secured and oppositethesaid box. A bolt, 0, passes transversely across the box E, and isseated in its side walls and serves as a pivotal means of attachment ofthe coupling-link F. The top and rear wall of the box E is slotted at eto permit thelink F to be thrown back, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1.The free end of the link F is formed with a square shoulder, f, and awedge-shaped end,f, this construction being for the purpose offacilitating the entrance of the link into the box A, and itscooperation with the devices therein.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I have illustrated one manner of making the entirelink from a straight piece of round iron, whereby great strength issecured and the cost of manufacture is reduced. At one end an eye isformed for the bolt 0 in the usual manner. At the other end the rod isbent back upon itself at one side, as atf carried over the main portion,and bent at right angles to its length to form the shoulder f, and thenbent parallel with said main portion, as atf and the whole welded andforged into the desired conformation.

The operation of the parts is as follows: As

the head of the couplinglink F enters the box A it comes in contact withthe lower portion of the gate B and forces it back, as shown in dottedlines, Fig. 1, and when the shoulderf has passed the gate it fallsagainst the cleats a, and as the link is drawn outwardly the shoulderfstrikes against the rear surface of the gate, and thus the cars arecoupled. As shown at b, Fig. 2, dottedlines, the gate may be notched soas to embrace loosely the main portion of the link just back of theshoulder, which gives a broader bearing between the gate and link, andtherefore is stronger. "If desired, the trunnions I) I) may besuperseded by a rod, and the slots a may be dispensed with and a similarslot be made in the gate. Furthermore, the coupling-link may be formedwith a shoulder and pointed or wedge-shaped nose or head at each end,when, with slight modification in the arrangement of the boxes, a singlepair thereof may be employedthat is to say, each car maybe provided witha single box, A, located centrally at its end, as is usual. The locationof the projecting end of the operating-lever D indicates whether or notthe gateis elevated or lowered and whether the cars are coupled or not.

In coupling cars provided with duplicate coupling and link boxes, theturning about of either car always brings a couplingbox and a link-boxopposite each other because of their location, as above statedthat is tosay, car No. 1 will have a coupling-box A on the left ofits center and alink-box B on the rightat one end, and a coupling-box A on the right ofits center and a link-box B on the left of the flaring mouth, the cleatsa, the slots a and the incline a the gate B, having the trunnions I) b,and pivotally connected to the liftin g-rod '0, pivotall y conn ected tothe operatinglever, and the ratchet (l, with the box E, provided withthe coupling-link F, having the shoulder f, substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. A coupling-link formed of a single piece of round iron bent to form apointed shouldered head, as described-that is to say, bent againstitself, as atf over itself, as atf, and against itself, as atf andwelded and forged into the desired conformation, substantially as shownand described.

In testimony whereoiTI affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES P. NICOLSON.

YVitnesses E. B. STOCKING, J. H. PAINE.

